Wexford being left behind in tourism promotion?

Royal Legend · 18-08-2014 2:21pm

Interesting thread.

I came back on the ferry from the UK to Rosslare a few days ago and the first thing I noticed was how run down the Rosslare area was.
Its not a great impression for anyone getting off the ferry and driving into Wexford, which they have to do to hit the different routes.

I used to think the same about Shannon when you leave the airport as well, but they have tried to improve the area, although Shannon itself is very run down.

IMO there is an urgent need for a tidy towns committee around Rosslare.

There should be billboards leaving Rosslare for the local attractions in the South East.

Judgement Day · 18-08-2014 2:24pm

vicwatson wrote: »

This doesn't bode well -

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexfordpeople/news/most-tourists-would-not-recommend-the-region-to-friends-30501638.html

Why am I not surprised. Anybody who has been 'abroad' well just as far as Wales actually, knows that Ireland in general, and the South East in particular, is abysmal in terms of visitor attractions and does not stand comparison. In total fairness there's not one major attraction in the South East that I could recommend. Stamp's Pub in Enniscorthy, Redmond's in Scarawalsh and French's in Gorey and then foot to the floor...

McLoughlin · 18-08-2014 4:05pm

October with the various festivals and events seems to be the time of year to come to Wexford and this October has the best selection of events in years.

BarryD · 18-08-2014 4:39pm

Judgement Day wrote: »

In total fairness there's not one major attraction in the South East that I could recommend. Stamp's Pub in Enniscorthy, Redmond's in Scarawalsh and French's in Gorey and then foot to the floor...

Jaysus, hope you haven't downed too many pints before you put your 'foot to the floor' after touring your definition of attractions in the SE!

Judgement Day · 18-08-2014 5:53pm

After my rather intemperate post I put my mind to thinking about the 'major' tourist attractions in the South East and came up with the following - in no particular order:

1. Johnstown Castle....pretty for a walk...castle still not open to the public. 6/10

2. Irish National Heritage Park....suitable for school tours. 5/10

3. Hook Lighthouse....overpriced cafe with lighthouse attached. 2/10

4. Dunbrody 'replica' famine ship. Take a photo from the quayside 2/10

5. JFK Memorial Park....haven't been but not inclined to from reports.

6. Enniscorthy Castle....nice view from the roof....4/10

7. National 1798 Centre....tearoom for council staff...school tours 1/10

8. Wells House, Gorey....not been but sounds promising

9. Loftus Hall, Hook.....not been but rough round the edges from reports.

Nothing there though that would compare with Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man.

BarryD · 18-08-2014 7:28pm

Could be right about some features but you're a bit unfair re the Dunbrody - we brought the family there and all enjoyed the trip. Good displays and audio visual followed by actor on ship. There's also a lot more to The Hook than the lighthouse - the land, cliff and seascape there is far more significant than the tea rooms. And you don't have to pay anything to visit the carpark and go for a walk (yet!).

BarryD · 18-08-2014 7:44pm

A lot of the attraction in rural Ireland including the SE, is not in big attractions like Aqua World this or that or Muckross House etc. It lies hidden away a little in the folds of the landscape. Visitors could be facilitated to discover this for themselves with a combination of better signposting, print or web/ smart phone information and a willingness by all local people to welcome visitors in and onto their land etc.

There good deal of work put into redeveloping the Wexford Coastal Path about a dozen years ago, with a view to taking it off road and along the coast. The 'foot & mouth crisis' came and parts of the route fell by the wayside afterwards with the result that about half of it had to be dropped completely. I'm not having a go at the landowners here, they thought it best to restrict people coming onto their lands at the time and withdrew permissions as whilst it might have benefited the B&B up the road, it was no immediate good to them and perhaps would bring costs on them.

So you need a bit of a mind shift in a community and local authority sense, to bring about developments small & large like this, even if the individual does not directly benefit, the community and region as a whole will. That's more way the approach across the sea in North Wales etc. They know where their bread is buttered.

now online · 19-08-2014 12:29am

Judgement day I'd have to disagree.

JFK Is a great family day out take a picnic and away you go, kids love the place.

Hook is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world and for that reason alone is worth a visit.

Wells house is a magical place for kids.

Irish national heritage park, again great day out we all enjoyed it.

Loftus house has one of 3 staircases ever build the other two being in the Vatican and the titanic.

Famine ship is on our to do list.

There is lots to see and do in Wexford and in my opinion the focus should be on concentrating on marketing it to our own as a great family destination.

Judgement Day · 19-08-2014 7:43am

now online wrote: »

Judgement day I'd have to disagree.

JFK Is a great family day out take a picnic and away you go, kids love the place.

Hook is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world and for that reason alone is worth a visit.

Wells house is a magical place for kids.

Irish national heritage park, again great day out we all enjoyed it.

Loftus house has one of 3 staircases ever build the other two being in the Vatican and the titanic.

Famine ship is on our to do list.

There is lots to see and do in Wexford and in my opinion the focus should be on concentrating on marketing it to our own as a great family destination.

I'd have to disagree. Wexford has some nice places for a picnic - I'm sure the JFK Memorial Park may be one of these but there's plenty of such places that you can have a picnic without paying for the privilege.

I stand by what I said about Hook Lighthouse - an expensive cafe with a view.

Wells is apparently worth a visit as I mentioned.

How the Irish National Heritage Park could be described as a 'great day out' is beyond me. I spent about 30 minutes there and that was quite long enough to see everything. I only went in at all as access to the only 'genuine' item there (the Crimea Memorial) is through the Heritage Park.

Quite why I'd want to visit a crumbling ruin (Loftus Hall) to view a staircase is also beyond me, and as I said, the "Dunbrody" is better viewed from the quayside - after all we all know the story.

Anyway, as in a lot of Ireland it's about getting the 'product' right and the marketing will take care of itself though word of mouth, the internet etc. Poor roads, derelict rail services and no effort by local authorities to develop the SE need to be tackled and a landmark tourist attraction developed.

byhookorbycrook · 19-08-2014 9:08pm

We spend some of our holidays in Wexford each year. Plenty foreign tourists down at Hook this year.
Some of my favourite places in Wexford:
Vinegar Hill (haven't made it to the re-enactment yet though.)

Duncannon Fort.

Loftus Hall is good fun, the tour around the house is a good mix of history and silly scares . It's in very bad repair, so looks like somewhere Disney built to look like a "genuine haunted house" but is the "real thing." The stairs and surrounding carvings are actually well worth a look, as is the mosaic floor in the entrance hallway. The owners are also developing outdoor pursuits in the surrounding areas.

Hook lighthouse doesn't demand you buy food at the café !!

Tintern Abbey and grounds are always on my list to visit.

Baginbun beach for history and a swim!

This year we also went to the lavender farm near Gorey and Our Lady's Island.

If you go to tripadvisor you'll generally find tourists want to go to the Guinness Storehouse, Kilkenny city, the Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry , Cliffs of Moher (and Doolin, god help them) and the Giant's Causeway, preferably all in 2 hours.

You need to get on to the tripadvisor forums and sell your area. Plenty Americans at the very least would visit the JFK homestead and the Dunbrody.

man98 · 19-08-2014 9:15pm

Never been to Loftus Hall, but surely it can't be in as bad repair as Duncannon Fort! Most of the 'behind the scenes' in the Fort are in terrible condition. The Sand Sculpting Festival could be made bigger there, as it is absolutely lovely. Another thing could be boat tours of the Hook area, or kayak rental. Since Wexford has little attractions, we could make more use of the sea.

BarryD · 19-08-2014 9:35pm

man98 wrote: »

Another thing could be boat tours of the Hook area, or kayak rental. Since Wexford has little attractions, we could make more use of the sea.

Boat tours might be grand near the Hook, fantastic cliff scenery and water is very clear, not sure about wisdom of kayak hire though - there's a pretty vicious tidal race at half tide as the sea sweeps around the peninsula. There's a lovely walk from Slade to the Hook out along the coast which is well used.

John_Rambo · 26-09-2014 3:20pm

I'm just back from a couple of days in Kilmore Quay. Great spot, stunning beaches everywhere, nice walks, big big dune system, decent restaurant, good chipper, great grub in Kilmore. Bit of a litter and dog fouling problem, but you can't beat the South East in the sun!

I work in advertising.

Wexford - where Irish people go on holiday (-;

BarryD · 26-09-2014 5:49pm

Yep John, that's where Wexford should be looking for it's tourist cash from - Dublin and perhaps also the Welsh/ West England market, via Rosslare. Forget the Germans, Yanks and Japs, except for JFK of course..

John_Rambo · 26-09-2014 6:48pm

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of "why not holiday where the Irish holiday?"

You know when people go abroad and say "well, where we were it was all locals, it's where the Spanish/Italians/French holiday themselves"

That's the angle. Destinational market the area as the place where the Irish go to relax. A photo of one of those endless beaches void of gangs of people with a tagline like "this is why the Irish holiday in Wexford"

bruschi · 26-09-2014 10:28pm

some quick pictures not far from me. Obviously not to Judgment Days satisfaction, but if people want to get bogged down in really small details, then they will never enjoy things. The county is very undersold, and has a huge amount of natural beauty and identity. As John Rambo says, its where Irish people do holiday. I'd say you would find it rare to see no Irish person never holidaying in Wexford in some shape or form at some stage.

Judgement Day · 27-09-2014 8:45am

Nice pics but the West coast has far more to offer in the way of scenery and things to see and do. I lived in the Dublin area for almost thirty years and never once holidayed in the South East - Kerry, Galway and Donegal many times - and as far as I can see (currently) its main selling point is its ease of access from Dublin for a quick getaway.

Cantona's Collars · 27-09-2014 11:11am

Another problem is the state of some of the rural roads,they are in a shocking state.It's not appealing to go off the beaten track.The NRA insist that the council repairs the N routes (even if they are fine) while the roads that are in bits need serious work.

I've driven up mountains in Wales and the road surfaces are perfect.Drive around Wexford and in parts you'd need a tank.A lot of our attractions are situated in areas that force people to drive on such roads & it's hardly encouraging when they resemble pot holed sheep tracks.

Cantona's Collars · 29-10-2014 4:40pm

Regarding the state of the roads,there was a report made public today that Co.Wexford is a "pothole blackspot".That'd really encourage you to go exploring the county.
With the rise of cycling also,who would want to take their life into their hands cycling along some of the roads here?
Recently,I took the bike along some of the rural roads & swore never again as I dodged what could be only described as craters,the road surface in urban areas is nearly as bad.

Wexford being left behind in tourism promotion?

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